Baby Tutu for Monthly Photos



Cutest little model I ever did see!

The inspiration for this project was an adorable sticker pack called "Sticky Bellies" that I found at Hobby Lobby ($9.99 for a pack of 12/ $6 if you've got one of their 40% off coupons)! In the package, colorful stickers are labeled 1-12 months and meant to be displayed on baby's onesie or shirt for monthly pictures. A picture of an adorable baby girl wearing a Sticky Belly on a shirt and a sweet, little tutu gave me the perfect idea for the ensemble my baby girl could eventually wear. I have seen instructions for and pictures of adorable ribbon and tulle tutus that I have been meaning to make for what seems like forever now. I went to my local Wal-Mart and bought 1 yard each of brightly colored blue, pink, purple, and green tulle, along with polka-dot, pink ribbon and followed the directions I found online through the website indicated below (keeping in mind I measured the ribbon according to baby's potential waist and height adding lots of extra so that it expands as she does; the directions call for a larger child's dimensions):

http://bebehblog.com/the-most-unnecessary-craft-tutorial-ever-baby-tutu/

A view of the entire skirt...I may add more tulle pieces to fluff it up a bit

Bonus pic of a Steelers tutu I made for my little munchkin (please pray she doesn't hate me some day for making her wear all these flippin tutus!)

How To: Decorate a Ring

Here's a SUPER easy project for anyone to try:

Materials:
-Craft glue (I use E6000)
-metal ring base (usually can be found at any craft store)
-large bead (or any craft item you'd like to wear as a piece of jewelry; in my case, I used a flat, turquoise bead)

Example of a ring base used for this project

 Instructions:
1. Squeeze a dime-sized drop of craft glue onto the bead
2. Place the center of the ring base onto the glue to adhere
3. Allow the glue to dry overnight (keep the ring bead-side down to allow to dry appropriately)
4. Enjoy!!!

Trying My Hand at Metal Stamping

I have always admired crafters on Etsy and other sites that create metal-stamped jewelry. Being the type to leave no craft unturned and wanting to try my hand at this task, I asked my mom for a set of metal stamps for my birthday a few years back. Little did I know just how much more I would admire those types of crafters, as metal-stamping is a very precise craft that requires an extremely steady hand. How metal-stamping crafters are able to stamp names, dates, and quotes onto pendants with consistent pressure and uniformity, I will never know. In other words, I stick to one-letter stamping and often go through multiple stamping disks and plates before getting even one centered and looking the way I want it. For this particular project, I decided to create initial and birthstone charms for my sister and sister-in-law in honor of their little ones, Royce and Camdyn, respectively.

Materials:

-metal alphabet stamp set
-metal stamping disk (with hole drilled)
-small anvil -hammer
-necklace chain
-permanent marker
-steel wool
-craft epoxy
-flat-sided rhinestones

1. Line up the alphabet stamp of choice in the middle of the disk and hold it steadily

2. Using a small hammer, hit the flat end of the metal stamp repetively, making sure to hold the stamp steadily

3. Once the letter has been successfully stamped, scribble over the entire letter with a permanent marker

4. Using a piece of steel wool, rub off the permanent marking, leaving only the outline of the letter stamped darkened

5. Wipe off smudges and fingerprints with a dry cloth

6. Using craft epoxy, glue a rhinestone to the disk for decoration or, in this case, to symbolize birth stones

7. Add a split ring through the hole in the disk and string onto necklace chain to wear proudly

Children's Craft: paper bowl Easter basket

Easter chick basket

This was a waaay cute project completed by my students in their Home Ec. class. Perfect for the upcoming Easter holiday and so simple!

 Here are the instructions:

Materials:
-brown and yellow construction paper (shredded)
-sturdy, paper bowl
-two pipe cleaners in colors of choice
-hole punch
-3 plastic eggs (various colors)
-google eyes (6)
-feathers (6)
-orange foam-cut into small triangles for bird beaks (3)

Instructions:
1. Using the hole punch, make one hole on each side of the paper bowl's rim
2. Twist pipe cleaners together and thread one end into each side of the rim, folding and twisting to secure.   
    The pipe cleaners should form your basket handle
3. Place paper shreds into the paper bowl
4. Glue google eyes, foam triangles and feathers onto each egg to complete your "chicks"
5. If you wish, place sweet treats or toys in the eggs for an extra special surprise (my students actually made their own chocolates, which went inside of their eggs. How cool is that?)




One of my students modeling his adorable creation

Wishing all of you and those you hold dear to have a wonderful Easter holiday! May your baskets overflow with love, family, and  friendship.

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!

Upcycled Flip Flops



Former floral flips flops turned turquoise-embellished flip flops

Due to a last summer doggie snafu (i.e.-I allowed my pup to be in the same room as my adorable and formerly floral flip flops; fifteen minutes later, the attached flowers were no more), I was given the opportunity to upcycle a pair of flip flops into a "new" pair for this summer.



Original flip flops

 

The culprit-She's lucky she's cute!

Using a craft epoxy, I glued turquoise beads I had in my collection on the fronts of the flip flops (where the cute flowers used to reside) in a simple pattern. After they had completely dried (overnight), they were as good as new!



Upcycled flip flops

Hand Painted Oil Bottle

Although I'm not a big user of oil dressings or the use of oil for a whole lot in general, I love the look of oil bottles...and I loved this one in particular even more when I found it for a dollar at my local craft store! To decorate it, I simply chose four colors of acrylic paint that I thought would complement each other, in this case black, white, light blue, and red. Beginning with the lightest color (white), I used the tip of a Q-tip, dabbed it into the paint and created small dots around the entire bottle. I then repeated the same process with the light blue, followed by the red, and finally the black, until the bottle appeared completely covered in dots. After the paint dried, I sprayed a clear sealant all over the bottle to keep it protected from chipping. Although it sounds like a lot of monotony, it really is a very quick project and creates a really neat effect!